LIRR back on track to Penn Station after broken rail disrupts service
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A broken rail in one of the East River Tunnels in Queens caused headaches for LIRR commuters during the morning rush on Tuesday.
Given the ongoing Amtrak work to Penn Station, MTA was forced to suspend LIRR service to Penn Station entirely. Trains were diverted to alternate terminals.
Two of the four East River tunnels connecting Penn Station to Long Island are undergoing major reconstruction after damage from Hurricane Sandy.
The repairs have been ongoing for six months and have raised concerns about LIRR delays.
"I've been back and forth running to different trains tying to transfer. I missed like 3 trains running up and down the steps trying to make the train, so it's probably added like 30 minutes to my commute so far," one commuter said.
One track was already out of service due to the ongoing repairs and then Tuesday morning another rail broke which forced the MTA to divert trains from Penn Station.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the suspension could have been much worse had the MTA not insisted Amtrak put a detailed plan in place during the construction.
"They did put it into effect. It did avert much worse damage to the morning commute. and we are appreciative of that," Lieber said. "Because LIRR had pushed hard for Amtrak to be ready, we were able to recover a lot of service"
The suspension happened at an inconvenient time as riders were heading to work.
"I go to Atlantic Terminal from Massapequa Park so I found out in the morning in the MTA app," another commuter said. "It was pretty helpful. It let me know right then there would be some delays and everything so I kind of prepared in advance"
The LIRR social media page urged riders to consider using Grand Central or Atlantic Terminal service or to take the subway to and from Jamaica Station.
The broken rail was repaired and service resumed at 8:00 a.m.
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